Traveling crane truck of saddle and pin construction



` 5 Smets-sheet 1V E, LANGER TRAVELINGCRANE TRUCKOF SADDLE AND PIN CONSTRUCTION Oct. 8, 1968 Filed March 24, 1966 Oct. 8, 196.8 i

E, LANGER TRAVELING CRANE TRUCK OF SADDLE AND PIN CONSTRUCTION Filed March 24, 196e 5 Sheets-Smet 2 BY l/ #uw f @A Oct. 8, 1968 El LANGER C 3,404,640

TRAVELING CRANE TRUCK OF" SADDLE AND PIN CONSTRUCTION Filed March 24, 1966 Sheets-Shee I5 BKM JLM, v #MVM #fram/fri United States Patent O ,TRAVELING CRANE TRUCK OF SADDLE AND PIN 'CONSTRUCTION Edwin Langer, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to The Morgan .Engineering Co., Alliance, Ollio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 537,217 8 Claims. (Cl. 10S-163) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved saddle and truck-pin construction for mounting wheel trucks or equalizers at the ends of the girders of traveling cranes.

A long standing problem in the art of traveling cranes has been the failure of the outboard leg of the saddle to withstand shock from forcible or violent engagement with the wheel truck in the direction of the axis of the truck pin, i.e. in the direction of the length of the girder. Reinforcement of this leg of the saddle has sometimes reduced the misery at the cost of ungainly size and expense without reaching the heart of the problem.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to solve the problem of preserving the truck-pin saddles from the loss and injury mentioned above.

Another object is to provide an improved saddle and pin construction for the ends of girders of traveling cranes.

A further object of this invention is to provide a crane construction having improved resistance against endwise shocks between the girder and the rails on which the crane is mounted.

A general object of my invention is to provide an improved arrangement for supporting a traveling crane on wheel-trucks which is simple in construction, economical in fabrication, and overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices.

Briey my solution to the problem, which it has been my object to solve, comprises relieving the outboard leg of the truck-pin saddle of much or all horizontal load and shock so that it need carry little or nothing but straight vertical and horizontal load only in the direction of the crane rail; while at the same time requiring the inboard leg of the saddle to take all or substantially all the endwise shock and thrust between the wheel truck and the girder, and integrating the inboard leg of the saddle to the end of the girder so securely that all the endwise thrusts and shocks are well distributed and easily withstood.

My solution to the problem and the objects and advantages of my invention will be more clearly understood from the following description thereof with reference t the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevation of an end portion of a crane girder with one of its wheel trucks shown in broken section.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the structure of the girder of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view of the end part of the girder of FIG. l showing the saddle and truck-pin with the truck removed.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical elevation viewed from within the girder taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

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FIGURE 5 is a partly broken away perspective of the saddle for the truck-pin.

Because the crane and girder is symmetrical right and left as viewed in FIG. 1, only the left, as viewed, half of the crane including my improved saddle and pin at the left end of the girder will be shown and described. The girder B is the main spanning beam for a traveling crane of the type well-known in the art which spans a set of parallel rails and engages same for movement relative thereto. Conventional wheel driving motors carried by the trucks are not shown. Girder B may be provided with the usual operators cab C, suggested in dotted outline in FIG. l, and with a conventional winch or hoisting means H for hoisting a load and for moving the load longitudinally of girder B. The reactions from such movements (as well as crane slewing and trolley-bumper impact) thrust the girder endwise, right and left as viewed in FIG. l. The girder is provided at its ends with an inverted L-shaped downwardly and outwardly facing notch and my saddle S having an inverted U-shaped cross-section, see also FIG. 5, is positioned and secured within the notch and carries the truck-pin P. The pin transmits load from the girder to the rails 58 through wheels 57 and truck T. The girder B generally comprises a top horizontal or longitudinal plate or plates 10, pairs of side plates 11, 12, see also FIG. 4, bottom longitudinal plates 13, and an end plate 14, see FIG. 3. The girder B also includes` a cross-brace 15, FIGS. l, 2 and 3, spanning between notched side plates 11a and 12a at the end of the girder, and further includes a diagonally disposed outwardly and downwardly facing plate 18 also spanning between side plates 11a and 12a below the saddle S. The girder B further includes conventional braces 16 and vertical ribs 17.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the girder or beam B is generally rectangular in cross-section and is substantially of uniform width and height throughout its length except for the notch adjacent the saddle S.

The saddle S includes a pair of opposed vertical, parallel side plates or legs 20, 22 welded and depending from a horizontal cross piece 24. The saddle comprises metal plates preferably substantially thicker than most of the members of the girder B. The legs 2li and 22 are secured to the base plate 24 by welding as indicated at 25 and 26. To secure the saddle in the notch, the end plate 14 of the girder and the cross-brace 15 are welded to the base plate 24 as at 27 and 28 respectively, FIG. 3i, and the inboard leg 22 is stoutly secured to adjacent vertical end edges of the notched and reinforced end plates lla and 12a as by welding at 29, FIG. 2, as well as by being welded to the upper edge of the plate 18 as at 29a, FIGS. 3 and 4. The outboard leg or plate 2t) is provided with a circular aperture 30, FIG. 3, which slidably receives the annular journal collar 35 on the outboard end of the pin P, and provides a bearing therefor. The collar 35 is welded or otherwise xedly secured to the pin P as indicated at 37 to move therewith.

The inboard leg or plate 22 of the saddle is provided with a suitable aperture 4t) similar to the aperture 30 in the plate 20 and axially aligned therewith. Positioned and secured within the aperture 40 is an annular bearing ring member 42 for slidably and removably engaging and centering the pin P in the saddle. The bearing member 42 is aligned and welded or otherwise firmly secured in the plate 22 as indicated at 43.

Referring now to FIGS, 3 5, the truck journal pin P thus far described is slidably insertable and removable axially to and from the saddle through the circular aperature 3i? in the plate 20 and the bearing member 42 in the plate 22, as well as through the bearing 56 of the truck T, FIG. 1, when the truck and saddle bearings are aligned. It remains to secure the pin in the saddle and to preserve the outboard leg 20 from deleterious horizontal loads and shocks by anchoring the pin P in xed axial relation to the bearing member 42, hence also in xed relation to the leg 22 and the adjacent parts of the girder, while (l) preventing contact between the truck and the outboard leg and (2) maintaining a free sliding relationship between the pin and the outboard bearing 32.

To anchor the pin P against axial motion relative to the bearing 42 the pin is provided with an annular rectangulaigroove 26 adjacent the inboard end thereof, FIG. 3, which snugly and removably receives the radially inward portions of a pair of C shaped half-rings 44 and 45, whilst the outward radial portions of the ring stand out above the surface of the pin to bear against the inboard face of the bearing 42 when trapped within the retaining ring 47 and clamped tightly against the inboard face of bearing ring 42 by clamp bolts 48 screwed into tapped holes in bearing ring, FIGS. 3 and 5. By making the inboard face of the bearing 42 normal to the axis of the pin P and the cylindrical surface of the bearing, and also making the radial walls of the groove 46 normal to the same axis, as I prefer, substantially 360 of tight firm anchorage is achieved between the pin and the bearing 42 in the direction of outwardly directed loads and shocks transmitted from the pin to the bearing 42. Inwardly directed shocks from the truck to the saddle will impinge upon the bearing 42 directly, see FIG. 1. Inwardly directed blows of whatever nature imposed upon the pin are firmly resisted through the groove 46, half-ring 44 and 45, retainer 47 and bolts 48. The half-rings 44 and 45 preferably have the same inner diameter as that of the bottom of the groove 46 and have but little less thickness than the width of the groove to insure a substantially xed load bearing relation between the pin and the bearing 42.

A conveniently large manhole or handhole 51 in the plate 11a, along with a similar and opposite one in the plate 12a, not shown gives access to all means disposed within the girder, FIGS. 3 and 4, which removably anchor the pin to the leg 22 of the saddle and thence to the girder as well.

As shown in FIG. l, the truck T comprising a suitable upper central portion 54 having an internal cylindrical bearing surface 56 in which the pin P is journaled. The hub of the truck comprising the bearing 56 extends substantially the entire distance between the inner end of collar 3S and the outboard face F of bearing ring 42 permitting but little relative axial motion between the truck T and the pin P. The truck T in conventional fashion comprises a pair of the double anged wheels 57 which engage the rail 58.

In the operation of my invention the outboard leg of the saddle is protected from shocks or loads delivered in the direction of the axis of the pin P. Should the crane and girder move or lurch leftward, as viewed in FIGS. l and 3, the outward face F of the bearing 42 will engage the hub of the truck and transmit the shock and thrust to the rail 58 through the truck and wheels. Should the girder move or lurch rightwardly, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3, the inner face G of the collar 35 will engage the hub of the truck and transmit the shock load through the pin P to the bearing 42 through the half rings 44, 45 as described above. Since the collar 35 is freely slideable in plate the shock will merely move or jog the collar 3S in plate 20 without transmitting any deleterious part of the shock to the plate 20. Both plate 20 and bearing 42 share the usual driving, braking and working loads of the crane in the planes of the legs 20 and 22 between the pin P and the girder: the girder absorbing and/or delivering its own horizontal shock loads through the leg 22 of the saddle. The operation of the identical structure turned end-for-end at the other, right as viewed, end of the girder is the same as that of the left, as viewed, end described herein and supplements and shares the same burdens and advantages.

The embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are for the purpose of explanation and illustration of a preferred form of my invention without intent to limit the scope of my patent to the form or forms herein specifically disclosed, nor in any manner inconsistent with the progress by which the art has been promoted by my invention.

I claim:v

1. A truck journal pin and saddle construction between the end of a girder and the wheel truck of a traveling crane, comprising one inboard leg and one outboard leg, each leg having a bearing for the pin axially aligned in the direction of the length of the girder, the truck having a bearing axially aligned with said saddle bearings, the said pin being journaled in all said bearings, means for anchoring the pin to the inboard leg against axial motion relative thereto, and load transfer means secured to said i pin and axially movable relative to said outboard leg for engaging said truck when the truck moves toward said outboard leg to divert axial force away from said outboard leg to the inboard leg.

2. The construction of claim 1 wherein said load transfer means comprises a collar secured to and surrounding said pin within the said bearing in said outboard leg.

3. The construction of claim 2 wherein said truck engages axially only said collar in one direction and said bearing in said inboard leg in the other direction.

4. The construction of claim 1 wherein said inboard leg is secured to said girder along a plurality of its edges and against movement relative thereto in substantially all directions whilst said outboard leg is attached to said girder essentially for transmission of vertical loads therebetween.

5. The construction of claim 4 in which said pin is freely movable axially in said outboard leg and said pin comprises said last named means for diverting said force to said inboard leg.

6. The construction of claim 1 in which said pin is removably journaled in Said bearings and has an annular groove at its inboard end adjacent the inboard leg and said first named means comprises a pair of half-rings removably secured in said groove and in engagement with the said bearing in said inboard leg.

7. In the combination of a girder for a traveling crane a truck for the supporting wheels of the crane, a pin journaled in the truck and a saddle for the pin carried by the girder at the end thereof, the improvement comprising that the saddle have inverted U-shape with its base and an inboard leg attached to and integrated with the girder at many peripherally spaced places but with its outboard leg essentially depending from said base, and that said pin have its inboard end ixedly secured to said inboard leg and have its outboard end axially slidable in said outboard leg whereby to transmit essentially only vertical load thereto, and load transfer means secured to said pin and freely movable relative to said outboard leg for engaging said truck when the truck moves toward said outboard leg to divert horizontal shocks between the truck and the girder away from said outboard leg.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said legs have aligned bearings and said pin is removably journaled in all said bearings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,605,369 11/1926 Miller 105--180 XR 1,793,346 2/1931 Wego 308-20 2,056,651 lll/1936 Edmunds --180 XR 2,521,660 9/1950 Westover 105--180 2,947,265 8/1960 Dehn 105-180 XR ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

